Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

The research programs led by Drs. Biggar and Sabatino aim to understand how alterations in protein function and interactions contribute to cellular behavior. While genomic sequencing identifies genetic changes, it is the proteins that ultimately dictate cell fate. Both research groups use peptide arrays to investigate protein function, focusing on processes like cell growth and cell death. This knowledge can lead to new strategies for diagnosing and treating diseases. This proposal seeks funding to replace an aging peptide SPOT array synthesizer, crucial for their research and their vast collaboration networks. Dr. Biggar's work focuses on protein function and lysine methylation, vital in normal cell biology and implicated in diseases like cancer. The Biggar group has made significant advances, including using custom methylated peptides to train machine learning algorithms that map enzyme-substrate interaction, leading to a 14-fold increase in substrate identification accuracy in cells. They also pioneered techniques such as the first use of peptide libraries to identify lysine demethylase enzyme specificity. Collaborative research between the Biggar and Sabatino labs are currently using peptide SPOT arrays to develop peptides with immune-regulatory properties. The MultiPep 2 Automated Peptide Synthesizer will replace aging and unsupported infrastructure to enhance their research capacity, enabling high-throughput screening of protein interactions and synthesis of peptide arrays. Our current Intavis Multipep synthesizer was manufactured in 2005, but acquired and repaired by the Biggar group in 2016. It is heavily used core infrastructure that is unsupported by the manufacturer and is prone to malfunctions given its high usage demand. The new equipment will dramatically expand our labs research capacity by reducing downtime, increasing synthesis capacity, and supporting collaborative research efforts nationally and internationally. Without it, their research programs will be directly compromised if this core infrastructure is not updated. The proposed Multipep 2 instrument offers multifunctional capabilities, allowing the synthesis of different types of peptides and doubling array synthesis capacity. It will be operated and maintained by trained personnel, contributing to the training of graduate students, postdocs, and researchers from various groups. The research team has a strong track record of training highly qualified personnel, with many receiving prestigious awards and finding employment in academia or industry. This new equipment will enhance the training experience, providing unique opportunities for skill development in functional proteomics, a strategically important field in Canada's research and development sectors. In summary, the acquisition of the MultiPep 2 Automated Peptide Synthesizer is crucial for advancing research in functional proteomics, enabling cutting-edge investigations into protein function and interaction networks.